WAGE DATA · SOC 47-2221

IRONWORKER PAY
IN ILLINOIS.

Illinois ironworkers earn a median of $48.57/hr (BLS 2024). 3,250 workers employed statewide. Compare market wages, federal prevailing rates, and per-diem baselines below.

// BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS · STATEWIDEOEWS · MAY 2024
HOURLY MEDIAN
$48.57/hr
MEAN HOURLY
$46.48/hr
ANNUAL MEDIAN
$101K
EMPLOYED
3,250
10th · $30.90MEDIAN · $48.5790th · $58.54
// DAVIS-BACON · FEDERAL PREVAILING WAGE70 ACTIVE WDS

Active Wage Determinations · Illinois

70 active Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations cover Illinois. Each WD sets the legal minimum wage (base + fringe by trade classification) on federally-funded construction in the counties it applies to. Showing the 12 most recently modified — click through for the per-trade rates on sam.gov.

Per-trade rates (the actual $/hr for ironworkers by county) are published on the SAM.gov detail page for each WD. Browse all 70 Illinois Wage Determinations on sam.gov. If a contractor on a federal job is paying below the WD, file a WH-3 with DOL WHD.

// GSA PER DIEM · FY 2026GSA

Lodging + M&IE by City

The federal government's per-diem rate is the baseline most contractors use. If your job's per diem is below this, you're subsidizing the contractor.

Chicago
Cook / Lake
$287
/day · meals $92
East St. Louis / O'Fallon / Fairview Heights
St. Clair
$236
/day · meals $86
Oak Brook Terrace
DuPage
$195
/day · meals $80
Bolingbrook / Romeoville / Lemont
Will
$188
/day · meals $74
Standard Rate
Illinois
$178
/day · meals $68
// ROADHAND COMMUNITY DATABE FIRST

What are workers actually earning?

Government data is a baseline. Real take-home pay — including per diem, OT rules, housing allowances — comes from workers on the ground. Submit your pay anonymously to help the next hand.

SHARE YOUR PAY

FAQ

How much does a ironworker earn in Illinois?+
According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024), ironworkers in Illinois earn a median of $48.57/hr. That's roughly $101K/year for a full-time schedule at straight time.
What's the top pay for ironworkers in Illinois?+
The top 10% of ironworkers in Illinois earn more than $58.54/hr (BLS 2024). That represents experienced workers, supervisors, or those on high-per-diem travel contracts.
How many ironworkers work in Illinois?+
BLS reports 3,250 ironworkers employed in Illinois as of 2024. Numbers fluctuate with major construction cycles — when big projects like LNG terminals or data centers start, demand spikes.
Do ironworkers in Illinois get per diem?+
Per diem is standard on travel contracts. The federal GSA baseline for Illinois is typically $150-$260/day depending on the city. Contractors may set their per diem higher or lower — if it's below the GSA floor, you're subsidizing the contractor's housing budget out of pocket.
What's Davis-Bacon prevailing wage?+
Davis-Bacon rates are the legally-required minimum wages on federally-funded construction projects — base pay plus fringe benefits. Every contractor working a federal job must pay at least the Davis-Bacon rate for that county and trade. Private-sector jobs don't have to match, but many do as a competitive floor.